Cinquain
by lirance
Summary: A collection of Cinquain poems. Nine, ten, eleven and twelve: Kyoto reflects. Okina, Aoshi, Tomoe and Yumi.
1. Splintered: Battousai

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Chapter one of a collection of cinquain poems (pattern: 2, 4, 6, 8, 2) featuring Battousai, Shinta, Kaoru, Kenshin and Shishio. Possibly other characters upon request.

* * *

Silence,  
Splintering in  
The cold, empty darkness.  
The lone empty hunter, stalking,  
Death's face. 


	2. Chained: Shinta

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. It's Shinta's turn. Kaoru will be making an appearance in the next chapter.

* * *

Empty,  
Locked away in  
His corner of the dark,  
Bleak mind of the hitokiri.  
Shinta. 


	3. Drowning: Kaoru

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki

* * *

** Kaoru: Drowning**

Dark night,  
Cold once again,  
The fireflies drowning,  
He's leaving tonight, and she is  
Alone.


	4. Following: Sano

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Here's your Sano cinquain, Hitokiri Jinchuu. I hope you like it Kenshin leaves, but Sano isn't staying behind. Not this time.

* * *

**Sanosuke: Following**

Alone,  
He awakes, cold,  
Left behind once again.  
But this isn't the past. Sano  
Follows.


	5. Dreaming: Megumi

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Set when Megumi contemplates suicide in Kanryu's mansion. Poppies is a reference to opium.

* * *

**Megumi: Dreaming**

She dreams  
Of a world with  
No darkness, no more fear,  
The sky is black, and growing in the cold earth,  
Poppies.


	6. Burning: Shishio

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki.

* * *

** Shishio: Burned**

Burned cold,  
No emotions.  
Shishio sits alone,  
He doesn't need anything but  
Greed (love).


	7. Rotting: Yahiko

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Kaasan is short for Okkasan- the Japanese word for mother.

This poem takes on a rather darker tone than the other, so the rating will be changing.

I hope you like it, Dragon Empress, since you were interested in a Yahiko fic

* * *

**Rotting: Yahiko**

Rot, death,  
They sink in deep,  
The bloody curse of sex  
and exploitation, it kills her.  
"...kaasan?"


	8. Betraying: Saitou

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki.

* * *

**Saitou: Betraying**

The last,  
He prowls, alone,  
The only wolf, turncoat,  
Captain, traitor, Shinsengumi,  
Saitou.


	9. Fracturing: Okina

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Okina and Misao. One of a collection written in December, but not posted due to formatting difficulties. Still not as I'd like, yet probably the best that I'm going to achieve. Please ignore the odd spacing.

* * *

Child-like,

She knows nothing

Of fractured steel, or night,

And, he reflects ruefully,

Darkness


	10. Darkening: Aoshi

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Aoshi and the nature of vengeance. One of the December set.

* * *

_Darkening: Aoshi_

Vengeance.

So this was it.

Bitterness of sake

Unstoppered by fulfilment.

Dark rain.


	11. Paling: Tomoe

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Tomoe and Kenshin. December set.

* * *

_Paling: Tomoe_

Pale orchid,

Soft in darkness.

She sometimes wonders if

He is not too hard, and yet still

Too bright


	12. Slipping: Yumi

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Yumi and the aftermath of pain. December set.

* * *

_Slipping: Yumi_

Faith, numb

On her dull tongue

As she swallows her tears.

Her kindness chokes in her throat,

Slips down.


	13. Fraying: Katsura

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Katsura thinks of Kenshin. Written in May.

* * *

_Fraying: Katsura_

Children,

Like fireflies,

So fragile in the night.

He has let this firefly burn,

This child.


	14. Warming: Sojiro

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Sojiro and the nature of _raku_, comfort. May poems

* * *

_Warming: Sojiro_

Raku.

All that he feels.

But it is not so bad,

This fleeting summer warmth, and so

He smiles.


	15. Fearing: Tae

Rurouni Kenshin © Nobuhiro Watsuki. Tae and the Kenshin-gumi. May set.

* * *

_Fearing: Tae_

She's scared.

They've been kind to her

But she'll always be scared,

Of their world of steel and murder,

These friends.


End file.
